Here we go Chapter 21. Enjoy!
Chapter 21: Bats.
The previous evening was one that was eventful for both Harry and Kara to say the least. It would be one that they would never forget any time soon.
Harry opened his eyes, and somehow they were up in their bedroom. Kara was curled up against him. Her head rested on his chest. Harry wrapped an arm around her waist, and took a long look at her. She really was the most beautiful thing in the universe. She positively glowed with radiant beauty, and she smiled peacefully in her sleep, before her eyes slowly opened.
"Hi," Kara said to him, with a smile. Kara shifted against him. She rolled over on top of Harry, and gave him a good morning kiss. Harry returned it.
"Sleep well?" Harry asked her once the kiss had broken.
Kara smiled, before she reached forward, and put her hands on Harry's shoulders.
"You know I did," Kara said. She stopped and felt Harry brush against her. She leaned forward, to whisper seductively in his ear. "And you seem to be up and ready for some more."
Harry smiled at her, and she lovingly nibbled on his ear. Her hands traced patterns around his bare chest, and she hummed under her breath.
"Last night you asked me to marry you," Kara said to him.
"I did," Harry said. "And you said yes, quite enthusiastically, I might add."
Kara giggled at her reaction from last night.
"And I'm glad," Kara said to him, and she leaned forward, planting a series of kisses on his neck and shoulders. She rubbed her hands down his chest, feeling his muscles. She pulled herself up. She straddled Harry, and flipped her hair out of her face. She looked down at Harry, a smirk appearing on her face. She licked her lips. "It's something I've dreamed about, and it happened."
Harry wrapped his arms around her lower back, and pulled her closer to him.
"I've dreamed about a girl like you, someone who I could spend the rest of my life with," Harry said, and he held her tightly against him. "You're everything I ever wanted and more. You're the most perfect, wonderful girl in the entire universe. You're beautiful, both on the inside and the outside."
Kara looked down at him with pure love.
"It just goes to show you, the right person makes anything possible," Kara told Harry. She reached down and cupped his face in her hands. Their eyes peered into each other like they were looking into each other's souls. "I thought I'd never feel these things, until I met you Harry. You're one of a kind, and I love you."
"I love you too," Harry said to her. The words came so naturally to him with her. Harry had so many things he wanted to say to this blonde goddess in his arms, but her nude body this close to him made it rather hard to concentrate.
Their lips met with a combination of passion and power. Kara and Harry's hands roamed over each other's bodies, and they deepened their kiss with each other. They proceeded to indulge in each other with some earning morning love making. It was not was wild and intense as what they did the previous evening, but it did leave them both satisfied.
Christmas had just passed into the ether, but the weather of the season had remained. Winds blew all through the country side, and snow and ice covered the roads. Had the children not been off on winter vacation, this would have been perfect weather for a snow day. The weather forecast indicated the snow would be ceasing once the Christmas season was over, and things would be warming enough to melt the snow. So, it would be back to school just in time.
Harry and Kara pushed their way through the winds, flying over towards the Kent Farm House. A few days ago, Clark and Lana had both been rescued from the tender mercy of Hugo Strange. That was an interesting day, but it ended rather well for all.
The engagement ring on Kara's finger was proof for that. Kara felt lighter than air, as in a matter of months, she would be married to the love of her life, and she could hardly wait.
In her heart, almost from the moment she saw Harry, she knew he was the one for her. Most certainly she knew the moment they kissed for the first time. Kara felt the connection they had with each other.
In a matter of months, she would be Kara Potter, and she could hardly wait.
Kara placed her hand on Harry's arm gently, and the two settled down. Harry wore a black coat, pants, and a white shirt, along with black boots, a black and white scarf and hat. Kara wore a red coat, blue shirt, and tight red sweat pants, with black boots, a red and blue scarf, and a blue hat.
"I wonder if Lana's enjoying her new powers," Harry said to Kara.
Kara just smiled, and she heard a crashing noise from inside the Kent Farm House. A bit of a smirk appeared on her face, as she heard Clark's exasperated voice from inside the house.
"Something tells me that she might be having a bit of fun with them," Kara said in amusement, and she took a few steps forward. She grabbed the doorknob, and twisted it open.
Lana had Clark down on the ground, pinned down.
"Clark, it seems like you can't get up," Lana said to him. "And I thought you said I needed a bit more practice in controlling my powers."
Clark just grimaced. He knew he would be regretting those words, from the moment Lana had a smirk on her face. He mentally calculated the best way out of this situation.
"Okay, Lana, really you've proved your point, you have perfect control over your powers," Clark said with a grimace, but there was a slight good natured smile.
"Do I really?" Lana asked. "Maybe we should test them a little more. Or maybe it's your powers that need a bit more fine tuning."
Clark looked up, and Lana let her up.
"Please tell me you let her take you down," Kara said.
"Um, she got the leverage," Clark said in an undertone.
"Sure she did," Kara said with a smile on her face. "Seems to me like you're the one who needs a bit more control of her powers, my dear cousin."
Clark opened his mouth to protest, but words failed him. Harry stood off in the shadows, a look of amusement crossing his face. He thought Clark was a good guy, but sometimes he just brought these things onto himself.
"I really hope you two haven't been getting into too much trouble," Kara said.
"Yeah, we're…well we're just taking this one step at a time," Lana said, and Harry and Kara turned to her. There was a questioning look in Harry's eyes. "There aren't any side effects if that's what you're asking. Other than the fact that I'm eating twice as much."
"That's perfectly normal, you will have a higher metabolism, especially if you're burning off of all of that energy from the constant use of your powers," Harry explained. "That's something that's true with any kind of special abilities. Magic is about the same. If you don't eat enough, it's hard to pull off the charm work."
Harry knew this all too well. Years of an improper diet at the Dursleys had caused him to be unable to perform many spells properly. Of course going between the very little food at the Dursleys, and the often over the top Hogwarts feasts did some rather strange things with his abilities as well.
They settled over the years, thankfully, but he recalled those moments in time bitterly.
"Well now that we're here, Harry and I have something to share with the both of you," Kara said, and both Clark and Lana looked at both of them. Harry decided to be the one to drop the bombshell.
"Kara and I are getting married," Harry said to the two of them.
There was a moment where there was a gasp, before Clark and Lana registered what they were saying.
"Really, that's great, congratulations you two," Lana said, and Clark nodded.
"Yeah, I'm really happy for the two of you," Clark said after a moment. It caught him off guard. He expected them to be married before too long, but it was a bit sooner than he could have thought.
"I figure, we're going to be together anyway for a very long time, so make it official," Harry said, and he put an arm around Kara's waist. "Kara's the only girl that I ever truly loved."
Kara smiled at that thought. Harry had told her that much many times. And he meant it every single time he said it.
"Aw, that's sweet," Lana said. She turned to address Harry. "Didn't you have anyone from…"
"No, although I'm sure many of them would have gone faint if I had proposed," Harry said with a dry chuckle. "Plus they only would have liked me for my money or my fame. They all grew up with the story of Harry Potter, or learned rather quickly. Some separated the legend from the person better than others, but it was in the back of their minds. That's not who I am."
"Harry, I love you, no matter how rich you are," Kara said, resting her head against Harry's broad shoulder as she stood next to him. An impish smirk appeared on her face. "Besides, if you ever did lose all of your money, all I have to do is crush a couple of pieces of coal into diamonds, and we should be set up for a while."
That made Harry laugh, Kara could do that, she always made him smile. The true problem was that Harry never really felt a connection to anyone in that world, not really. He was just some mythical figure, a living legend that no one in their right mind could live up to.
Not to mention some of the outlandish tales that had been marketed about him. He read some of those children's books based off of his so called adventures, and they were excellent fiction. The type that even Gilderoy Lockhart would think that would be absolutely absurd.
Come to think of it, Harry never did receive any royalties for the use of his name and image. Then again, it was far past the point now.
"So, have you two set a date?" Lana asked.
"No, it might not be until the spring, if that's alright with Kara," Harry said.
Kara gave Harry a quick, but loving kiss on the lips. "Don't worry, its fine with me, any time you want. "
Harry and Kara both made a mental note to sit down and hash out the further details of their planned wedding.
"We're just about to go have breakfast," Clark said. "If you two want to…"
"No, Clark, that's nice of you to offer, but we just had to pop out of the house quickly to run a few errands while Claire's still sleeping," Harry said to them. He knew she was still asleep, because his house would inform him when his young charge had awoken. "We're just making sure both of you are alright."
Lana didn't say anything, but Clark had some trouble sleeping after his captivity at the hands of Strange. Being forced to relieve traumatic memories did do that to a person. She did find it an exercise of creativity to find ways to help relax Clark, but it was only a momentary distraction from the overall pain.
"Yeah, well I'm on the mend," Clark said, but he turned to Harry. He considered his next words. "I do have something to ask you, about my birth father, you know Jor-El."
"What did he do now?" Kara asked her cousin. The topic of Jor-El was still a very touchy one for her, and she took a deep breath.
"Well, he hasn't really done anything as of late," Clark said, and Kara just folded her arms, a slight frown appearing on her face. The fact Jor-El was silent worried her a slight bit more. "I went up to him for some advice regarding what to do with Hugo Strange, and he didn't respond. He didn't offer a word."
Kara felt a small pang of hurt that Clark went to Jor-El first over her, but she shook it off. She could not let her own insecurities get the better of her. While she embraced most of her emotions, insecurity was one that she could do without most of the time.
"So I was wondering if you knew what might have happened to Jor-El?" Clark asked.
Harry had a theory that he decided to offer Clark. "I'm thinking that something might have happened during that electro static impulse that rang out all throughout Europe last week. Maybe some of the backwash hit the Fortress of Solitude, and somehow disconnected the Jor-El AI from it."
Clark considered it, but he thought that might not be the case.
"But the technology is Kryptonian," Clark argued.
"Magic seems to be the culprit, that's what Kara and I were investigating when…when the incident with Strange happened," Harry said, guilt dripping into his voice.
"Yeah, we really should have been here," Kara added.
"Neither of you could have known that Strange would have tried something on that exact day," Lana inputted, trying to be the voice of reason. "I really hope a side effect of my super powers isn't a super self-loathing. Although, I don't really need powers to do that."
Lana thought back to all of the mistakes she made before, but that was the past. Lessons she learned the hard way, and nearly came back to bite her in the worst way. These powers were a gift, and one that she could not squander.
"With great power, there most also come great self-loathing," Harry replied with a shrug.
"And I could have sworn it was great responsibility," Lana said.
"A little bit of both actually," Clark said wisely. Every time he failed to save someone, even with his powers, or worse he indirectly hurt someone, the pain seemed to be amplified. Yet in many ways police officers, members of the military, firefighters, likely felt the same thing when they could not save the day in time. "But, do you think that Jor-El will come back online?"
"I'm not sure," Kara said. On one hand, she was internally dancing for joy that corrupt influence was out of her cousin's life. On the other hand, a part of her wondered if it would be that simple. "Give it time, and we'll know. Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise Clark."
"Or perhaps Jor-El decided it was time for me to sink or swim regardless of the consequences," Clark said.
"Well it's not like you'll be in this alone," Lana said gently.
Harry and Kara exchanged a look with each other. They vowed to make their way up to the Fortress at the first possible moment to see what had gone wrong. They took a few steps to the door.
"We'll find out what happened, it's weird," Harry said. "Although if it was the magical discharge, it might take a while for it to reboot itself, and without having a look at Jor-El's plans for the AI, it's not as if I can go in and fix things straight away."
Harry was rather curious what the plans were like. If nothing else, he could get a clearer idea at what in the world Jor-El was thinking when he made his Fortress AI in that particular way. Kara seemed to have similar thoughts, with her opinion on the actual Jor-El being very low.
"We'll be off, you know our number if something comes up," Harry said.
"Yeah, I think I have it written down somewhere," Clark said. "Congratulations you two and I really mean that. Both of you deserve some happiness in your lives."
Harry and Kara smiled at that.
"Talk to both of you later, don't do anything we wouldn't do," Kara said.
Of course, Clark didn't have to know that particular statement gave them an unlimited license to do pretty much anything. Kara and Harry got up to a lot with their powers.
"So, race to the kitchen, Lana," Clark said.
Lana gave him a playful smile and a nudge. "Oh, really, you think you can outrun me?"
"Let's find out," Clark said.
Harry and Kara watched the other couple with a smile. Hopefully this second chance would be made the most of it. Harry did not want to fall into the habit of blindly giving them.
"Nothing like a good race to keep things interesting," Harry said in a knowledgeable voice. "Kara and I had one the other day."
"Who won?" Lana asked curiously.
Kara and Harry both exchanged a covert look with each other. They decided to keep those details.
"Well we have to have some secrets," Harry said, but he recalled the race fondly. It wasn't just the competition, but rather the enjoyment of having fun with someone he loved.
Plus the aftermath stuck out in his mind vividly. There would be no need to relay the details of the aftermath in polite company. Although, the feeling of being above the ground, high in the sky, and making love to the woman of his dreams would be something that he would cherish forever. A few months ago, he would not have thought to be that adventurous, but he had been given a second chance. He was willing to make the most of it.
Explaining the broken windows was something that was more difficult, but that's why repair charms were invented.
Their sparring sessions had always turned out equally as interesting as well.
"The point is Clark, there's no shame in getting your arse kicked by your girlfriend," Harry said.
'Especially when she kisses it and makes it feel better afterwards,' Harry thought to himself.
"Sometimes, I pin Harry down, sometimes I let him me down, and sometimes we roll around a bit," Kara added. "Variety is the spice of life, isn't it?"
Lana looked amused, and got the sense that Harry and Kara enjoyed a very productive and eventful love life. Not that it was any of her business.
"Right," Clark said, and he tried to not think of what Harry and Kara did in their free time. The looks on their face and the few words painted a vivid enough picture. He shook his head, and tried to focus. "So, we'll be seeing you two around."
"Seriously take care of yourselves, and try not to go too insane at first," Harry said.
"Yeah, I don't want to hear that you collapsed the house," Kara joked. "Harry could fix it in a minute, but that's not the point. It would not look good."
Lana laughed at the visual, and look on Clark's face. Harry and Kara exited the house.
"So breakfast?" Lana asked.
"Yeah," Clark said, but Lana sped into the kitchen and waited from the other side of the table.
"I thought you were going to beat me to the table," Lana said.
"Lana, you did get a head start, I wasn't ready," Clark said.
"Oh, are you ready for this?" Lana asked him, and she grabbed Clark by the shoulders. She playfully, but firmly, pushed Clark against the wall, and kissed him on the lips.
For some reason, the fact that his girlfriend was now a tad bit stronger than him weighed on Clark. Oddly enough, he was not complaining all that much, but that could be because his mind was distracted for the moment from said complaining.
"I think I proved my point," Lana said, and she backed off slightly.
"I don't know, did you?" Clark asked her.
Lana smiled at him. "Yeah, I think you're enjoying this a bit too much."
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Clark retorted.
"Some people call you a boy scout, Clark," Lana said to him, before she whispered into his ear. "I wonder how good you are at undoing knots."
Clark briefly wondered what he got himself into. The morning would be a very eventful one and breakfast was forgotten about, at least for the moment.
Harry and Kara left the Kent Farm. Super hearing had many benefits, but there were also a few drawbacks.
Namely the fact that you heard things that might potentially scar you for life.
"I'm happy Clark has someone, but could they have waited until after I was out of earshot?" Kara grumbled to herself.
"Scarred for life, my beautiful blonde heroine?" Harry asked, and he gripped her by the shoulders. He pushed her hair out of her face, and looked into her beautiful blue eyes. "Would you like something to take your mind off if it?"
Kara tingled with excitement and anticipation, and Harry planted a kiss on her lips. He wrapped his arms around her, and guided her back into their bedroom. Everything else was forgotten, at least for the second.
There was only Harry and Kara, and the love they felt for each other.
Clark pushed open the door, and Lana followed him, with a satisfied look on her face.
"So, where are you heading off to?" Lana asked him.
Clark answered her immediately. "Off to Metropolis, I've got pick up a couple of things. It shouldn't be that long."
"Oh, can I come along?" Lana asked him.
"Lana, remember with the snow and ice, you got to adjust your footing slightly, and slow down a little bit," Clark lectured. Lana just smiled, she knew, but she just let Clark go. "If you slide into something at super strength, it will be like an eighteen wheeler truck sliding into something. And it will hurt, or even kill anyone."
"So, there's an entire science to your powers," Lana said.
"Yeah, I've had a few mishaps," Clark said.
'Mostly with the heat vision," he added to himself mentally.
"Well, I overcompensated a little bit, but I'm sure the bed can be fixed easily," Lana said.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Clark replied to her dryly. "So, are you ready to run there?"
"Run?" Lana asked, a wicked burst of inspiration striking her immediately. "Yeah, that might be fun."
Lana pushed open the door, and the wind and the snow blew into her face.
"But, I was thinking of something else."
Clark was about to ask what she had in mind, but he never had a moment to do so. Lana plucked Clark off of the ground, and took flight. The Kryptonian was caught completely off guard, at the fact that Lana could fly. Then again, he seemed to be the only Kryptonian that did not have the ability to fly.
The wind blew into their faces, and Clark tried not to look down. They made it from Smallville to Metropolis in less than a minute. Even though it seemed like much longer. Lana set Clark down gently on the ground.
Clark took a moment to find his footing, and grabbed onto Lana to make sure he did not fall face first into the snow.
"Lana?" Clark asked.
"Yes, Clark," Lana said, trying to keep her face straight at the look on his face.
"Do me a favor, and warn me next time you try and take off with me in your arms," Clark said, and Lana just was internally in hysterics. She straightened up immediately. She had her fun.
"Clark, sorry, but it really was too good to pass up," Lana said, and she just looked at her. "Flying's not that big of a deal, I don't know why you haven't picked it up by now. Plus, I didn't drop you, did I?"
"No, you didn't," Clark replied grudgingly, and Lana just offered a bright smile.
"So, no big deal then," Lana said, and they stepped out of the alleyway where she had landed in. "And no one saw us."
Clark shook his head, but he could not dispute that. Lana managed to get them from Smallville to Metropolis without being seen. Perhaps it was a miracle, but Clark was not going to complain about it.
"Just got to catch my breath," Clark said, and he took a moment against the wall. Unexpected and sudden flight did not agree with him. Especially when one added in his fear of heights, and that led to quite the nerve racking combination.
Kara told him that once he embraced everything that he was, and then flight would come easily. That was easier said than done. There was a mental block where Clark had that prevented him from flying, with his own fears and insecurities.
"Don't worry Clark, I'm sure it gets a lot easier with time," Lana said. "I'm a bit rattled myself…not as much as you are it seems."
Clark took a step away.
"You are really okay, aren't you?" Lana asked quietly. Fun was fun in all, but she didn't want to really hurt Clark.
"Lana, I'm really fine," Clark told her, and took a few steps forward. Clark walked into the alleyway. "Really, you just caught me off guard. I know you didn't mean anything malicious. I would have done the same thing if the situation had been reversed."
Lana nodded, although she wondered if she would have been slightly annoyed if the situation had been reversed. Then again, Clark seemed to a bit agitated of the unexpected flight.
"Your powers, well they're stronger than I thought they would be," Clark mused. "And that might take a bit to compensate them. But, can I offer you a word of advice?"
Lana motioned to Clark, offering him an opportunity to proceed.
"When around anyone that doesn't have super strength, treat them like you would a small infant," Clark told her. "You can't hurt me, but anyone else is fair game. So just remember that."
"That's sound advice," Lana said.
The two walked around the snowy and icy streets of Metropolis. No one noticed the sudden arrivals, but the snow storm gave them an ideal amount of trouble. Clark did the couple errands that he had to go into town for. They spent less than an hour in Metropolis.
Clark's super hearing picked up a loud crash in the distance. He turned around, and saw a young man with dark hair in his mid-twenties being accosted by a group of masked goons. He was backed up against a wall, before being thrown between the thugs.
"On the ground now, rich boy," one of the goons said to the man, and tossed him to the ground immediately.
Lana frowned, seeing what Clark saw.
"We got to help him," Lana said.
Clark had to agree, but the man suddenly used a sudden burst of adrenaline to knock one of the thugs around with a martial arts strike. Clark and Lana moved forward.
They discreetly used their powers, not really being seen. Lana knocked one of the muggers to the side, and Clark sent another one flying. The young man was not going to go down with a fight, and he knocked two of the muggers down with one shot.
The muggers decided to run off.
"Are you okay?" Clark asked the young man, helping him to his feet.
"Fine," the young man said, and he pulled himself to a standing position. "Most people wouldn't have jumped in when someone was being mugged."
"Well, we're not most people," Clark said.
"That much is obvious," the young man told him in a bright voice, and he shrugged off his injuries. He turned off to the side, to make sure no one else was coming. "But the assist was appreciated. The one day my bodyguard takes a day off, and I get mugged. That about figures, doesn't it?"
The young man turned around and faced both of his rescuers.
"And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" he asked.
"Clark Kent," Clark said.
"Lana Lang," Lana said.
"And you are?"
"Bruce Wayne," the young man told them.
Lana and Clark had heard the name before. He was only one of the most famous people in the world. He had just recently within the past year returned to head his company, Wayne Enterprises, after traveling the world for years and years. He had a reputation of being a party boy, but both knew from experience not to judge people based off of perceptions. Some people were nothing what they seemed and other people were exactly what they seemed.
The jury was still out on this particular individual.
"The millionaire?" Lana asked.
"Billionaire, actually," Bruce corrected her. He offered a good natured smile. "Don't worry, people get that one wrong all of the time."
"You do have some impressive moves, even without our help," Clark said.
Bruce remained stoic, as if it was no big deal.
"Well, self-defense is something that is well worth the while of those in high society to learn," Bruce said to them, and he stepped forward. "Anyone who has a high amount of money is going to be a target."
The billionaire paused before he continued to talk to both of them.
"And you two held your own as well. Shows that you care, even if you could have just as easily looked the other way."
"There's nothing to be gained by looking the other way," Clark said.
Bruce gave them an approving look. It was lesson that many in his home town of Gotham City could learn. Yet, they looked the other way because it was easy to do.
"Some might be in disagreement, but it's safe to say I'm glad you're not," Bruce said, and his limo pulled up. He shook hands with both Clark and Lana. He surveyed the pair of them for a minute. "I must be going. I've got a board meeting I need to be to tonight in Gotham City."
Bruce turned around, and Clark and Lana were left alone.
"He's nothing like the tabloids say," Lana said, breaking the silence. "Then again, you can't really judge anyone by those rags away."
Clark looked at the limo was it drove off. It was rather curious that Bruce Wayne was able to hold his own, at least long enough for them to show up. He brushed off those thoughts away. The story that Bruce had self-defense training did seem to add up. Plus, he did travel the world. So he would have to have picked up a few tricks of the trade.
The matter was mostly put out of their minds, and Clark and Lana moved off to enjoy their day together. Until the snow and ice overwhelmed the pair of them.
The Shining Light Foundation was still closed for the holidays, but Harry and Kara had returned there to do some work. The office space was the perfect place for a meeting. Claire sat in the corner in the next room, on a beanbag chair, reading a comic book.
In the desk in his office in a place of honor, was a nice hand written letter from Senator Martha Kent. It commended Harry for the work he did with the Shining Light Foundation, helping super powered children understand that their abilities were not a curse, but a gift. That letter meant a lot to Harry and to Kara as well.
Kara was pleased to her baby cousin was raised by such wonderful people like the Kents. He did turn out alright after all, getting a very solid grounding he was going to need to grow into a great person.
They had matters on their plate regarding Clark that was less pleasurable, and might mean disaster if certain information fell into the wrong hands.
Kara and Harry had the various notes that had uncovered about Veritas over the past couple of days, but they were not many. Strange had a few clues hidden in his files, being a part of the society years back. Yet even he offered no information that was too concrete.
Still Harry was resourceful at solving mysteries by now with very little information at his disposal.
There was a safe deposit box, located somewhere. Inside the box, Harry summarized was a way to control the traveler. The Veritas Society had been splintered, and divided over what to do. Some members had wanted to control the Traveler, while others wanted to assist him. In a small way, Harry could see why both sides thought what they thought. There was prestige and power in both schools of thoughts. The reasons were nobler in some ways than others.
"Virgil Swann set up this society," Harry said, reading through what little he was able to uncover. He did some digging, enough digging to be worried. The mysterious and often brutal deaths of several of the members did cause Harry a great deal of worry.
The secrets of the society caused many lives to be lost, and many others to be potentially ruined.
"Too bad he's dead," Kara said. "We could call up a shade…"
"Which is a crapshoot at best, with how willing he is to part with information and there's no margin for error," Harry interjected. He would not too trusting of the entire call someone from the dead aspect of his powers after the entire Hermione fiasco. "It's an idea granted, but not one I like to explore except for a last ditch effort. His daughter's still alive from what I can tell, so she might be the best person for us to get any information, if she happens to know anything.. We're going to have to track her down, and try and meet with her. But our main concern is the safe deposit box."
Harry thought about it. The fact that there were magical users in Veritas made him wonder if there were enchantments protecting the box, or at least shielding its location. Without a good idea where it was located, there was no way to find out. Hermione either did not know, or was not going not offer him any assistance for the situation.
Harry really didn't care one way or another. Hermione's entire presence and return to the dead still baffled him. There was just something about it that did not settle right with him.
He was not sure he bought the entire bound to the library for all eternity thing.
Regardless of what Hermione's intentions were, Harry still felt compelled to uncover the secrets before anyone else could.
And there was one glaring person that could not know the truth no matter what.
"Whatever we do, Lex can't get his hands on this safe deposit box, whatever it is," Harry said.
"He won't, you're one step ahead of him," Kara said.
"Let's hope I can manage a few more steps than that," Harry said, and he continued to flip through the notes. The file containing the Luthors was a few inches away from his hand. The tantalizing details within were almost too much to pass up.
'Know your enemy,' Harry thought to himself.
A knock on the office door had brought Harry and Kara's attention away from their work. They filed their notes away in a safe so they did not fall into the wrong hands. While security was airtight, it was not foolproof. They needed a full safety net.
"Come in Chloe," Harry called.
Chloe pushed the door opened, and walked in. She looked at both Harry and Kara. "So, I heard about you two, getting engaged."
"Well, I'm sure it's going to be all over the high society section of the newspaper in the next couple of days," Harry told her, and Chloe responded with a nod.
"Congratulations you two," Chloe said. "And I really mean that from the bottom of my heart."
"Thanks," Kara replied.
"Yeah, thanks," Harry said.
"So, why did you want to see me?" Chloe asked.
Harry paused for a moment, before he let the bombshell drop.
"I've managed to get a bit of a lead on your mysterious cryptic pen-pal," Harry told her.
"Oh, really, you managed to get something?" Chloe asked, and she looked a bit surprised. "I've been going down every single avenue that I could find. But there's nothing but dead ends and potholes."
"Sometimes you got to head to the bad part of town to find someone," Harry said. "And there is no worse town that Gotham City. I did some tracking, and the e-mails, both of them were sent there."
"Really?" Chloe asked in a surprised voice. "Do you have any idea who sent them?"
Harry just offered her a brief smile. He decided to be the bearer of bad news. "That's where the trail runs cold. Tracking the e-mails to Gotham City, that was a miracle in itself. Actually tracking the e-mails to their source, that's another problem. My contact in Gotham is trying to dig something up, but so far she's been unable to find me anything tangible."
"And how reliable is she?" Chloe asked.
"I think she can be trusted, in a sense," Harry said. "Or about as much as an anonymous hacker that I found on an Internet chat room can be. I didn't tell her anything about the nature of the e-mails. I only gave her the address. Who knows what she'll uncover. The person who sent them went to a lot of trouble in covering their trail."
"So, Strange could have seen them," Chloe suggested.
"We thought so at first, too," Kara said.
"It's someone else though, someone mysterious," Harry said, and he turned around, deep in thought. "I'll see what I can dig up in the future, but there are other things that I need to with. And those things might equal a big problem."
"How big of a problem?" Chloe asked.
"It's a big one, believe us," Kara said. "There's….there's something involving Clark, and there are people out there who would like to see him harmed."
"A bit too late on the news with that one, there's always been people after him," Chloe said, and Harry and Kara just looked at her, more determined than she had ever seen them before. "And just because of the look of your face this is serious."
"To be honest, it's potentially bad, I haven't even figured out all of the angles of it," Harry said. "We're researching everything, but this is something we have to do. It has to do with the mission that we were sent here for, by our employer."
"So, are you going to give Clark a hint of what he's up against?" Chloe asked.
"When we know for sure what he has to deal with, we might be able to," Kara said, and she did wish she could be a bit more helpful. She leaned back and sighed.
Harry thought about it. The truth could hurt, but lies and secrets could hurt even more. He would have to tell Clark before too long, just to give him a heads up. Harry knew better than anyone else how much keeping secrets could ruin many lives.
"So, Lana got to keep her super powers after all," Chloe said casually breaching the subject. "Which is strange, because I was certain someone was adamant that she had to lose them."
Harry just offered a shrug. "Yeah, I couldn't really give her a hint that she would be able to get them back until she was ready. For all I knew, she might have tried to force the issue, and that would not end well for her. The point is, she proved herself, and hopefully she can put the entire Lex thing completely behind her."
Chloe would have to agree with this hope. The problem was Lex was someone who made it very difficult for people to put his actions behind them.
"So, why exactly did you let her keep her powers?" Chloe asked.
Harry paused for a second. "To give her a chance to prove me wrong."
"Come again?" Chloe asked.
"Well, Lana didn't get off on the right foot with either of us," Kara admitted.
"I'm not making excuses or anything, but she's had a turbulent life," Chloe said.
"I know," Harry said in a sympathetic voice. "Hopefully Lana and Clark find what they are looking for, for their sake."
Harry paused for a moment, before he continued.
"If the dark spector wasn't hovering around us all, I would be a bit more at ease," Harry said. "There's a storm coming, I just don't know when."
"Things won't be easier when the third Herald gets here," Kara offered.
"Wait a minute, third Herald?" Chloe asked them.
Harry and Kara exchanged a smile.
"Yeah, there are apparently three of us, but the third one of us hasn't arrived just yet," Harry replied. "I don't even know what this person would be like. I don't know if her intentions would be noble or nasty."
"So, we're going under the assumption that this mysterious third Herald is a woman," Chloe said slowly, and Harry just turned to Kara.
"Kara seems to be going under the assumption that the third Herald is a woman, and let's face it, she's much smarter than I am."
"Thanks for the compliment Harry, but you don't need to sell yourself short," Kara said. She looked rather pleased with the compliment never the less. "All we know about this third herald is she's currently not in this dimension. There's no one with an energy signature quite like ours, and we searched the entire world for a third one."
"Or she hasn't been born yet," Harry offered.
"Or that," Kara agreed.
Chloe pondered the situation. She really had no ideas to offer them. That was more their area of expertise.
"She could complicate things," Chloe said slowly.
"We'll deal with her when she arrives," Kara said firmly. "For all we know, that might not be for another hundred years or so."
"Or it could be in the next twenty four hours," Harry said, but he shook his head. "I wouldn't worry about it. I've faced worse problems than this third Herald. I really wish I could find more about your e-mailer though."
"Hey, you know it was in Gotham City, that's more of a start I got," Chloe said. "And that's a start you can build on."
Kara and Harry nodded. They had a lot of work ahead of them. Harry had a theory that the mysterious e-mailer and the person who cut the power to Strange's facility might have been one and the same the more he thought about it. Call him crazy, but that's the conclusion he drew.
Harry and Kara made their way outside of the office, letting Chloe out. Claire finally looked up from her comic book.
"Took you long enough in there," Claire offered with a smile on her face. "What were you doing?"
"Boring adult stuff, trust me, it's nothing you wouldn't be interested in," Harry said.
Claire looked at Harry for a second, before she nodded. Kara walked over and grabbed Claire's coat from the rack off to the side.
"Talk to you three later," Chloe said.
"See you around Chloe!" Harry called.
"Yeah, bye," Kara said, bent down to make sure Claire's coat was on her, along with her hat, scarf, and mittens.
There was a muffled, "bye Chloe," behind the scarf of Claire. Chloe smiled at the girl, before she turned around.
"I can barely move," Claire complained as Kara put the coat and jacket on her.
"Better to not be able to move, then to catch a cold," Kara told her firmly.
"I told you, I can just use my powers to warm myself up," Claire said, but Kara just looked at her.
"I know, but you should still bundle up," Kara said to her.
"Someone's report card came in the other day, and she got straight As," Harry said, and Claire looked at both Kara and Harry. "Good job Claire."
"We're both really proud of you," Kara replied warmly.
"Yeah we are, you've come a long way," Harry said.
Claire looked rather pleased with herself. Those words coming from those two meant a lot to her. They were the closest thing to family that she had.
No, they were her family. There was no closest thing about it.
"I worked hard," Claire said. "Some of those subjects were hard, but I did well in the end."
"Just keep doing the best you can, that's all we ask for," Harry said.
Claire smiled, and Harry and Kara walked her down the stairs. They were going to have a nice day out now that their little impromptu research session was done.
Harry hoped that the papers would come through within the next few weeks. He had a feeling that Claire would be thrilled when they did and it all became official. Right now, he was only her temporary legal guardian, but if the government caught wind of what she could do, they could still try and take her away.
This situation was more permanent, but Harry was not going to tell her until they were signed, sealed, and delivered. He did not want to get anyone's hopes up, especially his own. Kara and his legal team were the only people who knew what was going on that front.
In the meantime, he vowed to enjoy the day out with the two of them, and have some fun, to keep his mind off of the insanity that had been happening as of late.
Not to mention the insanity that was to come.
There was a fine line between obsession and dedication. Some would say that Lex walked that line each and every day of his adult life. For the past several years, he has been delving countless hours trying to puzzle together the mystery that was Clark Kent. Yet more mysteries presented itself, and he found himself on the precipice of ultimate knowledge.
If only he could figure out what that knowledge was. When he did, he would figure out truths that most mortals would only dream about. He could save the world.
A buzzing of his intercom brought Lex out of his musings.
"I'm not entertaining visitors today, tell them that it has to wait," Lex said.
"Sir, its Commissioner Gordon and District Attorney Dent, from Gotham City. They have a warrant, and wish to speak to you regarding your dealings with Hugo Strange."
"Alleged dealings," Lex corrected, and the truth was Strange's mysterious death baffled him. All of the files of his office at Belle Reve had gone missing. Any information he obtained on Clark Kent, or anyone else for that matter had vanished without a trace. "Well, if they have a warrant, by all means send them in."
Lex turned around, pushing his file folders out of view. He would not do well to have anything that can attract attention present. He waited for a knock on the door.
He heard it.
"It's unlocked," Lex called, and he sat himself behind his desk. He reclined, easily and casually.
Two men walked in. One of the men was a middle aged man with dark hair that had slight hints of grey. The other was a younger man in his mid-twenties, with dark hair.
"Ah, Commissioner and District Attorney," Lex said. "You're both a long way from Gotham City, aren't you?"
"Yes, we are Mr. Luthor," Gordon said in a gruff voice, and he sat down. Dent elected to stand, and he gazed at Lex, mistrust in his eyes. "The warrant is in perfect order as you can see, but no worries, you're not being charged for anything, at the moment. We're just asking a few questions to follow up on a lead about your correspondence with Hugo Strange."
"Strange, Strange?" Lex asked in mock thought as if he had no idea what Gordon and Dent were talking about. He looked over the warrant. "Well, it's all in order, Commissioner. But I wouldn't expect anything else from one of the more honest and trustworthy members of Gotham City Police Department. You're doing your best to clean up the police force from what I've heard. Of course, when the entire city itself is diseased, you're fighting an uphill battle."
Lex offered a smile, with the slightest hint of smugness. Dent looked at him. He would like nothing better than to smack this smug shit upside the head, but he knew Gordon would never condone it in his presence.
"Cut the crap, Luthor, we know you've been talking with Strange," Dent said.
Lex raised an eyebrow, turning to the young District Attorney.
"Really, such an unfounded accusation without any proof could mean doom for your career," Lex said. "If I recall correctly, you're the youngest district attorney in Gotham City history. A position that has had the last five or six occupants either turn up dead, or be thrown in prison on charges of corruption."
"You seem so found of statistics, perhaps I should start rattling off the crimes you've wiggled your way out of because of your bank account," Dent said, voice and temper both raising, but Gordon shot him a warning look.
"Strange's medical credentials have been reinstated after being banned for life," Gordon said. "And all fingers point to you doing that."
"I don't deny that I reinstated Strange's credentials and referenced him to Belle Reve," Lex said. "He's an old friend of the family from way back, so I was doing him a favor. That's where any relationship between us ends. Unless you have an eyewitness account of any correspondence I have had with Strange, I don't think your investigation has a leg to stand on."
Dent clutched his fist. He knew Lex Luthor's type. The smug rich kid who obstructed justice, simply because they had the money to pay off the right people.
"I heard that Strange turned up dead," Lex added.
"Yes, we have, that's what brought us to this investigation," Gordon said.
"And you think I had something to do with it," Lex continued casually.
There was a pause. Lex looked at them firmly, almost daring them to accuse him.
"It doesn't matter what we think," Gordon said, waving his hand. "We're just investigating all avenues."
Lex took the cup of coffee on his desk. He took a drink, before he addressed the two visiting officials.
"My whereabouts can be accounted for, just check with my security staff," Lex replied casually. "They can inform you that I was present and accounted for all night. Strange's death was regrettable, but he was a professional psychiatrist with many patients throughout the years."
The bald young man took a moment to look thoughtful.
"For all I know, it could be some vengeful woman who controls plants, or some killer clown. I've heard enough rumors about to Gotham City to make me truthfully appreciate the work you've done. It's a hazard living there, much less working as a public official."
Lex surveyed them.
"I'll give you the names of people who can collaborate my whereabouts, if you wish," Lex continued. "Then we can put this entire situation behind us, and you can get back to your work, and I can get back to mine."
"We'll follow up on those leads," Gordon said, but he did not take his eye off of Lex. "Thank you for your time."
"The pleasure is all mine," Lex said. "I would hate for a grave injustice to be done, and if I can help in any way to bring down Hugo Strange's killer, I'll be happy to help."
"No, that will be all," Gordon said.
Gordon and Dent left Lex's office. Dent was seething, and he turned to the Gotham Police Commissioner.
"We both know Luthor's dirty, Jim," Dent said to him in a lowered voice. "The man's lower than pond scum. The dropped murdered charges on him are sky high."
"What we both know is hearsay, Harvey," Gordon replied to him in a warning tone. "Lex Luthor's motives of getting Strange's medical credentials reinstated are a cause of suspicion, but we have no proof of anything that he's done."
"Then perhaps we need to have someone find proof," Dent suggest in a rough voice.
Gordon turned to the district attorney, knowing what he was implying. Both men had formed a pact with the dark knight protector of Gotham City, to help weaken the various gangs. He could cross lines that neither Gordon or Dent would be unable to. As long as he didn't cross them too far, Gordon had no problem with him operating in Gotham City. "I know where your head is, but we got to do this by the book."
"Yes, I know," Dent said, and he just took a breath. "Justice isn't chance, the law of averages. Innocence or guilt can't be determined by a flip of the coin."
Harvey Dent gave a rough sigh. He was a bit tired of rich men getting away with murder.
He had an airtight case on one of Gotham City's most prominent crime lords that should have landed him away for a long time. He spent six months of his life working with that investigation. The case was dropped.
The fact the mayor got a generous donation to his reelection campaign, and several other city politicians got equally sizeable contributions from this individual was not lost on Harvey Dent.
There were days where he wondered if there was justice in the world, or if the only law that mattered was the law of averages.
"If Lex Luthor is guilty, he can't keep running forever," Gordon said in a calm voice. "But for now, we got to stick to this investigation. Strange was Gotham City's problem, and given he has a criminal record there, his actions here in Kansas would cause some of the burden of responsibility to fall on our shoulders."
The two left, to check out Lex Luthor's story. His alibi stood out, and in the eyes of the law that was the only thing that mattered.
They were back to square one.
Lex was gone mere moments after the meeting he had. Even if they could find something to pin on him, it would not stick. Anyone who came forward with evidence would be a fool at this point. He took a few more steps down the winding staircase down to one of the main lab areas. The door was slightly ajar. That was curious, as Lex took great care to keep this particular door locked at all times.
It was worth a peak to make sure no one had been poking around in matters they shouldn't. Lex took a few more steps, and then stepped forward.
There was no one there.
Seconds later, Lex Luthor experienced something that he never thought he would in his wildest dreams.
He was suspended upside down by his ankles from the rafters, and he came face to face with a shadowed figure dressed in black. Lex's breath quickened. His heart thumped in his chest, and he could barely string together what passed as a coherent thought.
"Who the hell are you?" Lex demanded when he found his voice.
"You've been studying Clark Kent, and been working with Hugo Strange," growled the intruder in a gruff voice. "You're going to give me information as to why."
The threatening tone of voice was not gone unnoticed by Lex, but he tried to maintain a mask of ignorance. Perhaps he could fool this individual until he figured out a way out of his predicament.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Lex said, trying to remain cool and collected, despite the humiliating and dangerous situation he was in.
"You know, and it's a long drop from there," said the figure in a low and threatening tone.
"Clark, there's something about him, he has secrets, I need to find out," Lex said. "It might be for the good of the world."
"What do you know about the Veritas Society?"
Lex remained numb in shock.
"Answer me," the intruder continued in a commanding voice.
"Secret society, something about the traveler, to guide him from his arrival, years ago, that's all I know, I swear," Lex stammered, and the footsteps of security could be heard outside. "Help, someone, there's a madman in here!"
Security entered, and Lex turned to them, still suspended by his ankles.
"Don't worry about me, go after him!" Lex snapped, frustrated at his predicament.
"Go after who, sir?" the guard asked.
The intruder was gone as soon as he appeared.
Lex dangled upside down, until someone cut him down. It would be an encounter that he would not forget, or forgive for a long time.
He would find out who did this. He did not enjoy being embarrassed.
"So, you're telling me the mystery e-mailer came from Gotham City?" Clark asked to Chloe. Both stood at the Kent Farm House, and half watched the snow come down. "That doesn't seem good."
"Yeah, talk about the one city that makes Smallville look well adjusted," Chloe said. "I don't know how Harry managed to find someone who could connect the dots."
"I don't really know how Harry manages to do half of the things he does," Clark said, before he looked amused at the irony. "Is this how everyone looked at me before they knew my secret?"
Chloe offered a smile to her friend. "Yeah, pretty much. So, you and Lana are exploring new avenues. The seismic tremors wouldn't have anything to do with what you're up to."
"It wasn't that bad," Clark offered in an embarrassed voice. "Lana's just adjusting to her new powers, but she's doing well. Granted the fact that she could fly and I couldn't was something…that was surprising."
"Join the club of us grounded people," Chloe said.
"There's a club?" Clark asked.
"There is now," Chloe said, and she peered out the window. "Speaking of Lana, she's back right now."
Lana opened the door, returning from her jaunt outdoors. She greeted Chloe with a warm smile.
"Oh, hey Chloe," Lana said.
"So how are you today?" Chloe asked brightly. "With your new powers, getting to keep them, and everything that's been going on. It must be something that you've thought about for a long time."
"It's like something that is out of a dream," Lana said. "Which is why I'm half expecting to wake up, and find out that I didn't get to keep those powers after all."
"I can pinch you if you want to know for sure," Clark said to Lana.
"Maybe later," Lana fired back, but she looked outside. She sighed, thinking about what had happened over the past couple of months. "Things are actually peaceful for once. A brand new year is almost here; let's hope that it's less chaotic than last year."
"Well, I'm always for a good bit of blind optimism as much as the next person," Chloe said.
After making some small talk, three more people arrived at the Kent Farm. Clark opened the door, and saw Harry, Kara, and Claire waiting.
"Hi guys, figured we'd swing by, Claire insisted that she wanted to see you guys again," Harry said.
"It isn't a problem, is it?" Kara asked.
"No of course not," Clark said with a bright smile. "So how have you two been?"
"Since you last saw us a couple of days ago, we've been busy," Harry said, and Claire went over to talk to Lana and Chloe, and left Harry and Kara to have a word with Clark. Harry sighed, now was the moment of truth. "There's no easy way to put this Clark, but we've uncovered something that you really need to know."
Clark's curiosity was piqued, but a feeling of overwhelming dread filled him as well. On one hand, if he needed to know, then he hoped that they would tell him everything.
"We don't know all of the angles to it ourselves, but your arrival was anticipated and prepared for many years ago," Harry said. "For longer than you ever knew."
"We uncovered this," Kara said, and she handed Clark the folded up piece of paper that had all of the names of the members of the Veritas society on it.
"The traveler," Clark said to himself in an undertone.
"It goes much deeper than just your arrival, people in my world knew you were coming for years," Harry said. "For over a thousand years, there were prophecies about you."
"So, that means you knew?" Clark asked, a bit defensive and Harry thought that this would be a possibility.
Thankfully Kara was able to jump in to defend Harry.
"No, Harry didn't know anything about you, until he met me," Kara said. "And he found out about the legends much later…."
"Through the journal," Harry said.
Clark now frowned. Something wasn't adding up. "I thought you said that journal had nothing in it."
"No, it had nothing written in it," Kara said.
"It seems like we have something in common, Clark," Harry said with a weak smile. "We have a parent who wants us to achieve some great destiny, and the barrier between life and death would not stop them."
"Your mother?" Clark asked, and he could tell by the sour look on Harry's face it was not a subject that he enjoyed talking about.
"Lionel Luthor was right, the Evans family were obsessed about certain matters," Harry said. "But not me, I didn't want any of this."
Clark felt conflicted for a moment. Harry had some big secrets, and there were times where it seemed like he distorted the truth. Yet, he did help him several times.
There was a seed of doubt in his mind.
"Clark, you should trust Harry, I do," Kara said.
"I do trust Harry, but there's just so much about him that I don't know," Clark said.
"I've seen his memories, all of them, I know the type of person that Harry is," Kara protested.
Clark nodded. Kara seemed adamant that Harry was trustworthiness, and that seemed to be good enough for him.
"What did your mother want you to do?" Clark asked.
"She wanted me to control the traveler," Harry said without pre-amble. "I know what it's like to be controlled by someone who thinks they're doing things for the greater good, but they're wrong. But that's only the beginning."
Kara and Harry exchanged a look. It was time for the really big bombshell to be dropped. They hoped they could find a way around the limitations.
"And there's something else we need to tell you," Kara said. "It's…"
A knock on the door interrupted Kara before she could speak. Lana stepped over to the door, and opened it. She spotted their newest guest.
"Oh, it's you," Lana said, and she was face to face with Lionel Luthor.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Lionel said, but he did not wait for an answer one way or another. "I wish to speak with Clark for a minute. Alone It's urgent."
Clark looked at everyone, but nodded. He better find out what Lionel wanted. He left, and closed the door behind him.
Kara and Harry's curiosity got the better of both of them. They used their enhanced hearing to pick up bits and pieces of what Lionel was saying.
"I never seen Lex so spooked in his life. He's trying to keep a brave face on. But his resolve his slipping. The obsession he has with the symbol that he found on the gravestone is causing him to go mad. I'd be lying if I wasn't curious myself. But it seems to have no Earthly meaning that I could tell."
"No Earthly meaning?"
"The symbol may be of alien origin. Here is the sketch the symbol that I made."
Kara cringed. The symbol was Kryptonian in origin. Clark could likely read it and tell Lionel what it meant. She knew that darting out of the door would blow her cover.
"No, I don't recognize it."
Kara let out the breath she was holding, and Harry did as well. They had no idea why Clark kept that quiet.
"Eavesdropping is such a nasty habit to break, isn't it?" Chloe asked them in an undertone, and Harry and Kara turned around. "So, you told Clark about your findings."
"Well, most of what we could explain, we're still searching for more," Harry said, and he noticed that Lana had left the other room. Claire sat on the couch. "We were going to let Clark in on the big secret."
"You aren't allowed to tell him out right, though," Chloe said. "At least that's what I thought you said."
"We aren't," Harry agreed.
"But, there are ways where we can hint about it," Kara said.
"Well hopefully you find a big enough sledgehammer to hint with, because being subtle is not one of Clark's strong points," Chloe said.
"That runs in the family," Kara said, with a knowing smile. "On Jor-El's end at least."
Kara and Harry thought for a minute about the mystery of Jor-El's presence disappearing from the fortress. Either he was biding his time until the right moment to make himself known again, or there was another force present that silenced him for reasons unknown.
Harry had a shrewd suspicious, but he squashed it. At least until he could find more proof.
Clark popped his head in.
"I've got to check out something, I'll be back in about twenty minutes," Clark said.
"What do I tell Lana?" Chloe asked.
"Tell her that if I'm not back in an hour, it's likely I got in over my head," Clark said, and he sped off.
"And there he goes again," Chloe said.
"Claire, hang out here for a little bit with Lana and Chloe," Harry said. "I'm sorry, but Kara and I, we have something to take care of."
"Sure, its okay, I spent most of the day with you two anyway," Claire said.
"Good, we'll be back in a little bit," Harry said with a smile. He turned to Kara, and the two moved towards the door. "Remember the hunch I had about Veritas?"
"Which one?" Kara asked.
"The one with the Department of Mysteries at the old Ministry," Harry said. "Now's the time to check that up, and then we'll figure out why Clark sped off to."
Kara and Harry were off immediately after saying some quick goodbyes.
The old Ministry of Magic building in Great Britain was just the same as Harry and Kara left in when they had rifled through the records months back. The couple was here for a different reason this time. It was a search for knowledge.
"Luna mentioned her mother was an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries, years ago, just before she died," Harry said, recalling the conversation he had with his odd friend. "If the Lovegoods were a part of Veritas, maybe some of her findings were chronicled down here."
Kara helped Harry push open the rusted doors leading to the lift on the Department of Mysteries.
"Well, if it's intact, like everything else in this place," Kara said with a frown on her face.
"We're running around in circles right now," Harry said. "I just know there might be something tangible down here, call it a gut feeling that I have."
"You said there are countless rooms down here, right?" Kara asked him.
"Well, I've counted, long story, but there are six hundred and eighty one rooms," Harry said. "It's a hunch…"
"But it's the only one we got," Kara said.
"Just don't go near any mysterious archways," Harry said.
"I know, I saw your memories," Kara replied, squeezing his hand in reassurance.
Harry and Kara moved their way down the steps. With their powers, they would be able to search through the archives in a tenth of the time a normal person would. Kara pulled open the file cabinets on the left, and Harry did likewise on the ones to the right. Harry and Kara shifted through each and every document, trying to find anything that could interest them.
"Keep searching, Kara, I'll check the room off to the side," Harry said.
Kara nodded in agreement. Harry slipped off to the side to the next room. There were several items covered in the room. This being the Department of Mysteries, Harry was on the edge of his seat. It must have been years since anyone even stepped down here. For all he knew, there could be something sentient down here.
He was confident that he could handle anything that would be down here, and his bride to be could as well. But the problem was if anything escaped from this building.
Harry stepped forward. He saw nothing but dusty boxes and broken artifacts. Anything of any value appeared to have been cleared out of here a long time ago. Mysterious artifacts lost to the annals of time.
The dark haired Herald of Death stepped through the hallways, and reached the end of the hallway. He saw a very familiar mirror down at the end of the hallway. A part of him wondered where it had gone after his first year at Hogwarts.
The Mirror of Erised was here, staring back at him. How it got here, Harry had no idea.
Eleven year old Harry Potter would dwell on impossible dreams. Reality had not completely crushed his sense of wonder and magic. He longed for a day where he would make up, and he would be surrounded by his family. Everything would be a bad dream.
The twenty, nearly twenty one, Herald of Death knew better. He knew this mirror was wicked, twisted. It offered him promises of a life that he could never have had when he was eleven years old. It showed him with family members he lost.
Currently, his reality was not so bad. A certain beautiful blonde Kryptonian had given him a new lease on life. It had given him a reason to live again, and prove that there would be light at the end of the tunnel. Even after the harshest, most troubled life, there was always hope.
He would be damned if he let some title define him. That's why he proposed marriage to her. And Kara accepted, because she loved him. Not because of some silly title, or because he was famous, but because of the person he was. Harry got to be himself for the first time in his life, and she appreciated that. And Harry loved her back.
His reality was better than any fantasy that the mirror could give him. Kara was his reality, and he cherished her with all of his heart. He would give up his powers if it would make her happy.
Still the allure of the mirror had tempted those with far less insecurities in their heart. Harry decided that he could take a chance of one tiny peak. Just one little peak would be all really. What would be the harm if he looked into that mirror? What was his heart's desire now?
Curiosity got the better of him. There was times where Harry thought he was his own worst enemy.
Harry turned, and looked into the Mirror of Erised for the first time since his first year.
He saw both himself and Kara in the mirror, in the living room of a magnificent house. It was Christmas, or around that time. Outside, he peered through the window in the mirror, and spotted handsome structures in the background, advanced beyond any technology known to Earth.
Harry jumped with a start. With them they saw a girl with red hair, sitting by them next to the tree. There was no mistaking who that was. Then he saw two more children, one was a young boy with dark hair, and another was a little girl with blonde hair and green eyes.
He continued to stare at the mirror. Was this a hint of a future that he could have, or just another taunt of something that never could be?
"Harry, come here, you have to see this!" Kara called from the next room.
Harry pulled himself away from the vision in the mirror, jolted back to reality by his fiancée.
Had he lingered a moment longer, he would have saw her in the mirror. The image of the Third Herald of Death, but Harry had no idea and neither did Kara. Blissfully ignorant, Harry returned to meet Kara.
"Yeah, Kara, did you find anything about Veritas?" Harry asked her.
"Not exactly, sorry, but I found something that you should look it," Kara said, and she held out a dusty and worn folder for Harry to see. "Something called Project: Genesis."
"I never heard of it," Harry said.
"I figured so," Kara said, and she put down the official documents on a shelf for her and Harry to read.
Harry took a look at the official documents, and his expression darkened the more he read them. What in the hell was the Ministry thinking? Why did they think that this was a good idea?
He said nothing, but he filed away the documents for a more in-depth look later when they left the premises.
The two searched the entire Department of Mysteries, but found nothing, not even a hint about the Vertias Society.
That put Harry at ease just a little bit, but also frustrated him. There were so many unanswered questions, and right now Harry and Kara hoped that the overtures they made to Patricia Swann for a meeting would pan out. That was the only potential lead they had right now.
Clark stepped into an abandoned warehouse, and he carefully took a look to the side. He was exercising a bit more caution than usual. He stepped out of the shadows, and peered off into the distance. Lionel believed that this mysterious vigilante would be here, given that this was the next Luthorcorp facility in town.
"I was wondering when you'd show up."
Clark turned around. He spotted a figure in the shadows. He was dressed in black armor from head to toe. He wore a mask, a cowl for a lack of a better term, with pointed ears. A yellow belt with many pouches was around his waist. The only part of his skin that was visible was his jaw. His mouth was twisted into a humorless expression.
"What are you doing?" Clark asked. "Where did you come from?"
"I could ask you the same question," he replied dryly. "Lex Luthor seems to be unnaturally obsessed with you, and your secrets. To the extent where he'd make a deal with someone like Hugo Strange if it meant satisfying his own curiosity. Given what I found out, it can only be painfully obvious who you are."
Clark remained calm. There was no need to play his hand, not yet anyway.
"Lex has always been obsessed," Clark said. "I have nothing to hide."
"Do you, Kent?" the vigilante asked him. "For someone who has nothing to hide, you do attract the interest of some powerful and very influential people, not to mention dangerous people. I've studied you extensively, myself."
"Just who are you?" Clark repeated.
The dark brooding figure remained calm and still. Clark's patience failed him for a minute, and he tried to grab onto the vigilante. The vigilante bounced back on the other side of the room, with agility and precision.
Clark lunged, and tried to grab ahold of his mysterious guest. The guest slipped out of his grasp, and edged behind him. Before he could react, Clark found himself tossed onto the ground, and the vigilante reached into a pouch in his belt.
A familiar glowing green meteor rock was underneath Clark's nose. He grimaced.
"It doesn't take much, does it?" he asked, the Kryptonite in his hand. Clark felt weak. "And these rocks seem to be a dime a dozen. I didn't have to search for more than five minutes to find one. For all the advanced technology you're supposed to have, I am astounded that you haven't tried to find a way to negate their radiation."
The Kryptonite was withdrawn, and returned to a lead lined pouch. Clark rolled over, taking a deep breath.
At that moment, Harry and Kara popped up. The vigilante took a step back. These two were not part of his plan, but adaptability was one of the key weapons of the crime fighter.
"So it's you, isn't it?" Kara asked, helping Clark to his feet. "You're the one who cut the power, and send Chloe those mysterious warning e-mails."
The dark figure did not say anything.
"Okay, the time for games is done," Harry said, and he took a step forward to stare this mysterious individual in the eye. "Just who are you?"
There was a bit of a pause, before the figure responded, slipping a finger into his glove. His declaration was two simple words.
"I'm Batman."
A smoke pellet dropped, and the blinding cloud of smoke blocked the vision of Harry, Clark, and Kara.
The moment Harry could clear the smoke, this Batman was gone.
Harry and Kara both scowled. If he thought that he was giving them the slip that easily, he had another thing coming.
The search was on. They would get their answers.
To Be Continued in the Next Chapter, "Co-Op."
So, yeah, there will be unlikely to be any further updates for Herald of Death until January of 2013, but you just never know. I did add some upcoming stories that I hope to begin working on sometime in 2013 in my profile, that may or may not be to people's liking. So check that out in my profile when you have a chance. There are many more ideas I have beyond that, but alas, so many ideas, so little time.